| Estonian Auxiliary Police | |
|---|---|
| Active | July 1941 – November 1944 |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany Estonia |
| Branch | Schutzmannschaft |
| Type | Auxiliary police |
| Role | Anti-tank warfare Bandenbekämpfung Cold-weather warfare Counterinsurgency Crowd control HUMINT Internal security Law enforcement Patrolling Raiding Rearguard Reconnaissance Urban warfare |
| Size | 23 Battalions |
| Part of | Wehrmacht /Order Police /SS ofNazi Germany |
| Engagements | Battle of Stalingrad Battle for Narva Bridgehead Battle of Emajõgi |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Harald Riipalu |
Estonian Auxiliary Police (Estonian:Eesti kaitsepataljonid, Eesti politseipataljonid,German:Estnische Hilfspolizei) was Estonian auxiliary police forces unit that were trained to be capable of being paramilitary police for bandenbekämpfung, combat operations, counterinsurgency, crowd control, internal security, rear security (rearguard), and support military operation. Estonian Auxiliary Policecollaborated with the Nazis duringWorld War II.[citation needed]
Estonian units were first established on 25 August 1941, when under the order of Field MarshalWilhelm Ritter von Leeb, commander of theArmy Group North (Heeresgruppe Nord),Baltic states citizens were permitted to be recruited intoWehrmacht service and grouped into volunteer battalions for security duties.[1] In this context, GeneralGeorg von Küchler, commander of the18th Army, formed six Estonian volunteer guard units (Estnische Sicherungsgruppe,Eesti julgestusgrupp; numbered 181–186) on the basis of theOmakaitse squads (with its members contracted for one year).
After September 1941, theOberkommando der Wehrmacht (Armed Forces High Command) started to establish the Estonian Auxiliary Police Battalions ("Schutzmannschaft" (Schuma)) in addition to the aforementioned units forBandenbekämpfung (countering resistance and rear security) duties in theArmy Group North Rear Area (Rückwärtiges Heeresgebiet Nord). During the war, 26 "Schuma" battalions were formed in Estonia, numbered from 29th to 45th, 50th, and from the 286th to 293rd. Unlike similar units deployed in theReichskommissariat Ukraine andWhite Ruthenia, which were controlled by the Germans, the Estonian Auxiliary Police battalions were made up of national staff and included only one German monitoring officer. As of 1 October 1942, the Estonian Auxiliary Police forces comprised 10,400 men, with 591 Germans attached to them.
The police battalions were mostly engaged in the WehrmachtArmy Group Rear Area Command (Befehlshaber des rückwärtigen Heeresgebietes).[2] The 37th and 40th battalions were employed on rear security duties in thePskov Oblast, as was the 38th battalion in theLuga-Pskov-Gdov region. The 288th battalion was engaged in the suppression of the Ronson's Partisan Republic[clarification needed].[3] Police Battalions 29, 31 and 32 fought in theBattle for Narva Bridgehead.[citation needed]
From 22 November to 31 December 1942 the36th Estonian Police Battalion took part of theBattle of Stalingrad.[2] On August 29, 1944 Police Battalions 37 and 38 participated in the fighting against the SovietTartu Offensive. As their largest operation, supported by the 3rd Battalion of the Estonian Waffen Grenadier Regiment 45, they destroyed the Kärevere bridgehead of two Soviet divisions west from Tartu and recaptured the Tallinn highway bridge over the Emajõgi by 30 August.[4] The operation shifted the entire front back to the southern bank of the Emajõgi. This encouraged the II Army Corps to launch an operation attempting to recapture Tartu on 4 September.
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